The present invention is directed to a method of accurately positioning slide surfaces on slide rails or strips on the upper surface of a track for electromagnetically levitated vehicles. The track is formed as a girder-like beam constructed of steel, reinforced concrete or prestressed concrete. Operating surfaces for the levitated vehicle are formed by lower surfaces of support stators located on the underside of cantilivered parts of the track. The levitated vehicle contacts the support stators. The invention is also directed to the apparatus for carrying out the method and to a facility for housing the apparatus while the method is being performed.
A known track for a high speed railway using electromagnetically levitated vehicles is formed of track supports designed as single-span beams constructed of prestressed concrete and mounted on elevated pillars. The operational elements for electromagnetic levitation technology are located on the track supports and the elements have surfaces required for the support, guidance, driving and braking of the vehicle as well as for data transmission to a control center and for current supply into the vehicles, note the German "Civil Engineer", 1983, pages 129 to 134. This known track has track supports with a closed, approximately, trapezoidally-shaped cross-section with an upper cover plate, or support surface, cantilevered at both sides outwardly from longitudinal support webs. Operational elements for the levitated vehicle are located in the region of the cantilevered parts, such as support stators made of electro-plates and cable windings fixed beneath the cantilevered parts, rails for side guidance of the vehicles and for transmitting braking forces fixed on the sides of the cantilevered parts with slide surfaces or ways located on the upper surface of the track support above the support stators. The levitated vehicles rest on the slide surfaces during stoppages and during any possible malfunction of the electromagnetic system.
The operational elements or members have operational surfaces which must be positioned with great accuracy, because of the high speeds of the levitated vehicles. In the case of track supports constructed of reinforced or prestressed concrete, the fabrication tolerances usually occurring in concrete construction are compensated or bypassed.
There is a known device for avoiding the individual installation and adjustment of operating elements which is very time and effort consuming and which provides the installation and adjustment of the element in a single work step, note DE-OS 31 39 636. The essential feature of this device which include different machining or processing devices located on a single machine frame is that the machine frame which travels on the track support or support beam can be fixed to the track carrier for the individual machining steps and the machining devices are adjusted with reference to external checkpoints by way of surveying equipment for providing accurately positioned attachment of the system parts. Due to the tolerance of the support beam formed of concrete which are unavoidable and because of tolerances in the surveying equipment which cannot be completely eliminated, even when the greatest care is taken, the known method has resulted in shortcomings and inaccuracies.